276 THE RELATIONS OF THE STATE WITH 



subject has been treated, or as the basis, the three principles 

 being taken together, on which our fish-protecting enact- 

 ments have been founded. 



It is suggested that the first schedule proposed should be 

 as limited as possible ; and that, because there is no evi- 

 dence that deep-sea fish generally are really decreasing in 

 quantity, the interests of the fishing class should be held to 

 counterbalance those interests which protect such fish. It 

 might be confined chiefly to shell-fish and crustaceans, and 

 amongst these classes protection might be extended much 

 further than at present. These are proved to need protec- 

 tion because, from being more or less stationary on the bed 

 of the sea near the coast, when once their haunts have been 

 discovered, they may readily be rendered extinct. 



In consideration of fishermen's interests the contents of 

 the secondly suggested schedule, so far as it concerns all 

 fish of certain classes, should be as limited as possible. 

 The hardship of enforcing a close-time for herrings or 

 shoal-fish would be great. Should mullet or whiting, for 

 instance, ever require protection, a close-time of a year or 

 more would impose no great hardship, for those who catch 

 such fish rarely derive their livelihood from one species of 

 fish only. So far as it concerns " unmarketable " and 

 " unsizeable " fish, the restrictions might with safety be 

 more widely extended than they are at present. In the 

 case of " unmarketable and unedible " fish, the combined 

 interests of consumers and fish protection outweigh those 

 of fishermen. 



Every endeavour might be made to add to the third 

 schedule as many "protected areas" of a. few acres only as 

 can be properly cultivated by private enterprise. The 

 interests of fishermen and the interests which promote an 

 abundant supply of fish, of course, coincide. In most cases 



